Trigger
by thelivingtunic
Summary: A girl who knows nothing of who she is or where she came from other than her name looks to the Battle Force 5 to help her find out. What triggers her memory is unexpected.
1. Prologue

**A brand new story :) This one will have Tezz and AJ in it, don't worry...Anyway, a short prologue for you! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 or its characters. I only own my OC. **

* * *

><p><em>Prologue<em>

A tiny girl with chestnut coloured hair woke up on the salt flats outside Handler's Corner. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looked around blurrily. She stood up shakily, almost falling over; she was no older than 3 years old. The child took several wobbly steps forward before she fell. The desert sand was warm on her uncovered skin. The girl pushed herself up, and started walking again.

Very shortly, a cop car drove up. A much younger Johnson stepped out of the car. He hadn't been completely sure that he'd seen a toddler walking on the salt flats. He thought his eyes had been playing tricks on him, but sure enough there really was a toddler. Baffled, he looked around for any sign of her parents, or someone who looked after this girl. He saw nothing.

The child looked up at him curiously. She tilted her head slightly.

"Where are your parents?" Johnson asked, though he didn't hope for a straight answer. She was, after all, only three.

"I don't remember," she said simply, looking around.

"Do you know where you're from?" Johnson questioned.

"I don't remember," the girl said again.

"Well do you know what your name is?" the cop asked, thinking she must have had amnesia.

"My name..." the girl frowned for a moment. "My name is Meda!" she exclaimed happily. Johnson was surprised that she knew her own name while she seemed to know nothing else, but he picked her up regardless and put her in the cop car. Meda looked around with wide eyes, as if she'd never seen the inside of a car before. Johnson got back in the car and drove off.

He stopped at Zeke's Diner. He got out, picked up Meda, and walked inside. As the bell above the door rang, the diner's occupants all turned to look at Johnson holing the mysterious three-year-old.

"Did anyone lose this little girl? I found her out on the salt flats," Johnson said. Everyone shook their heads; they'd never seen the child before.

"You found her on the salt flats? Maybe she's an alien," a younger Zeke piped up. Every customer groaned.

"Just because she turned up on the salt flats doesn't mean she's an alien, Zeke," a blonde waitress called. She was a little chubby, but she had never completely lost all the weight she'd gained from having her son, three years ago.

"Well children aren't lost out on the flats every day," Zeke replied, and the waitress rolled her eyes.

"Someone's got to look after her," Johnson said. "She doesn't seem to remember anything but her own name," he added.

"My name's Meda!" the small brunette chirped, smiling widely at everyone in the diner. Everyone smiled back.

"I guess we could take her in, at least until her parents come for her," a dark haired woman spoke up. She was sitting with her husband and three-year-old daughter, Grace. "We don't mind."

"We sure don't!" Grace shouted, smiling. She was excited at the prospect of having a new 'sister'. Everyone laughed, and Johnson set Meda down on the floor. She immediately rushed to her new family, and Grace hugged her. "I've always wanted a sister!" Grace exclaimed.

* * *

><p><strong>There you go...The prologue takes place in the past, by the way. Just letting you know. The rest of the story is going to be in the normal time. <strong>


	2. 14 Years Later

**Alright so it took me awhile to write most of this, but I figured: Might as well update Trigger before An Animal's Heart. So I sat down and made myself write this, and it turned out even longer than I first thought! I hope this comes along quite this easy every time! :D Anyway, I hope you enjoy, even though it's not as cute as the prologue...Nowhere near as cute...**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter One<em>

_14 years later..._

A tall brunette girl walked into Zeke's diner. Her long chestnut hair was in a braid. She plopped down on a stool and slung her grey backpack onto the floor beside her. She rested her elbows on the counter as Grace spotted her.

"Meda!" she exclaimed, running to hug her adoptive sister. "You're back!"

"Of course Grace. I couldn't leave Handler's Corners forever," Meda replied.

"So how'd it go this time?"

"As usual I had no luck. I couldn't find my parents, and nowhere felt like home to me."

"Nowhere feels like home to you, because your home is here," Grace insisted. Meda grinned.

"I guess so. I still can't shake the feeling that I don't belong here though, and I still can't remember anything before waking up on the Salt Flats," Meda said. She hadn't been able to just sit still in Handler's Corners; she travelled because she wanted to know who she really was, who her parents were, and where she really came from. She wasn't having much luck with it though. She couldn't find even a hint of where she'd came from, and it bothered her.

She sat back down as Grace brought her a milkshake. The two then proceeded to argue about paying for the milkshake; Grace insisted she'd pay, while Meda told her not to be ridiculous and that she'd pay for herself. While they were bickering, a group of 8 people entered the diner. Meda turned to look at them curiously. Sure, Grace had told her all about this one group who always came here on a regular basis ("They're basically the best customers; they come in here every day, though Stanford is quite a pain," she'd said). Meda quietly wondered who this 'Stanford' was out of the group.

She soon found out when the royal redhead began to hit on Grace. Grace just rolled her eyes like always, turning and retreating into the kitchen.

"It's just a matter of time before she accepts," Stanford told himself.

"Face it Stanford, she's way out of your league," Zoom laughed. Grace returned a few minutes later, bringing the large group their usual order.

"Thanks Grace," Vert called as Grace turned. She nodded with a smile, and sat down beside Meda; there were no other customers in the diner.

"So are you curious about them?" Grace asked.

"Nope," Meda answered simply, focusing on her milkshake. "Couldn't care less." Grace smirked; knowing her adoptive sister—who was curious only about her origins—she could tell Meda had some interest in the Battle Force 5.

"Well the redhead is Stanford," the waitress began harmlessly, causing Meda to look up. "He's royalty, though he won't let you forget it," she whispered with a giggle.

"He sounds annoying," Meda said with a shrug. Grace shook her head lightly.

"Oh, he's not that bad. His heart is in the right place, most of the time. He's just a bit...Overbearing," she whispered. If Stanford heard her now, his ego would just inflate to the size of Kentucky.

"If you say so, Grace. Who's the guy who laughed at him?" Meda asked. _Aha, _Grace thought. _She really was interested in them, just as I thought_.

"His name is Zoom. He's a Muay Thai fighter," the waitress explained. "Why? Do you think he's cute?"

"Huh, as if," Meda snorted. "I was asking a simple question, sheesh. Don't jump to conclusions like that."

"Alright, alright," Grace laughed. Meda never did have much of an interest in boys, after all. "Well the girl is Agura, she's pretty cool," the waitress continued. Meda nodded, taking a slurp of her milkshake. The brunette glance over at the group, and noticed Spinner was sort of bouncing around.

"Who's the bouncy one?" she questioned, looking at Grace for an explanation.

"That's Spinner. The big guy beside him is his little brother Sherman. Spinner's pretty hyper while Sherman's like the exact opposite," Grace explained. Just then, Spinner managed to knock over his soda, the soda spilling over the edge of the table into Tezz's lap. The Russian glared at the older Cortez brother, who cowered beside Sherman. Sherman just rolled his eyes.

"Sorry Tezz," Spinner whimpered.

"Vhatever," Tezz grumbled.

"The tan one with the accent is Tezz," Grace whispered. Meda scowled a bit.

"His attitude is...I don't know what word I'm looking for. I just know I don't like it," the brunette grunted. Then she noticed Vert.

"Who's the blonde?" she asked.

"Which one?" Grace laughed. Meda's brow furrowed for a moment, before she noticed the big pale blonde beside Vert.

"The smaller one," Meda muttered. Grace smiled.

"Well that's Vert. He's a pretty good guy," she answered. "Last but not least, the big guy beside him is named A.J. He's from the Yukon, and I hear he's really into sports," the waitress finished. She smirked as she noticed her adoptive sister gazing intently at A.J. "Sis, you're staring," she commented lowly. Meda shook her head, snapping out of it. She spun back around and finished off her milkshake.

"Hey Grace, who's your friend?" Zoom piped up.

"This is my adopted sister, Meda," Grace answered. Meda faked a smile.

"Hi," she said cheerily. "Grace told me all about you guys."

"Oh really?" Stanford asked. "Did she tell you that I'm 189th in line for the throne?"

"No," Meda answered, "And as much as I'd hate to sound rude, I don't really care about it either." Stanford just turned on his heel and stalked back to the booth the rest of the group sat in. Grace took Meda by the wrist and led her over to be properly introduced to everyone.

"Guys, this is Meda," the waitress said. Meda rolled her eyes.

"Don't you think they heard you when you said it to Zoom?" she asked. Grace just gave her a small shove.

"Be nice," she warned, and the other girl just stuck her tongue out at her.

"Well it's nice to meet ya," A.J. grinned. Meda glanced at him quickly. She would never admit it to anyone, but maybe, just _maybe_ she found him a _little_ cute. It was the eyes, she concluded. Those eyes looked soft and sweet and she just thought they were to die for. The way his hair flopped sort of in his face looked _kind of_ good too, and anything but a wide smile would look just wrong on his face.

Then Meda realized she was staring, and she coughed into her hand. She looked anywhere but at his face, not wanting to make eye contact with him again.

"Yeah, nice meeting you too..." she muttered before going and retrieving her backpack.

"Oh stay a while," Grace insisted.

"You know I don't like staying in one place too long," Meda answered. _Plus I don't really want to stick around and sort of get to know that cute—no he's not cute!—guy and find out he's got a girlfriend or something,_ the brunette thought. As soon as the thought ended she wanted to punch herself; why would she care if he had a girlfriend?_ I don't_, she assured herself. _I just don't want to get caught staring and have them think I'm creepy or one of those airheaded girls who falls for a guy as soon as she meets him, and I'm certainly not one of those girls._

"Oh come on, you just got back and you haven't even been in here all that long," Grace complained. "It's not like you've got anything better to do anyway, right?"

Meda cursed in her mind. Of course Grace would play that card, everyone knew there wasn't much of anything to do in Handler's Corner. The group was watching them, sort of interested in whether Meda would stay or not.

"I kind of wanted to go for a drive," Meda lied. Since she had just gotten back, she really had no desire to just drive at the moment, but she was hoping her adoptive sister wouldn't call her out on that lie.

No such luck. "Don't give me that. I know how you get when you come home, you don't want to drive for weeks on end. Then you just decide that you want to hop in that truck of yours and before anyone knows it, you're gone again," Grace frowned.

"Gone where?" Vert asked, his eyebrows lifting.

"Oh, she goes off to wherever she feels like. We don't know where she came from, see, and she really wants to find out. So she just gets up and leaves from time to time, only to come home God knows when with no success. She doesn't even call!" the waitress exclaimed. "She doesn't get that we worry about her," she shot a look at Meda. The roamer just shrugged, inspecting her nails and not paying attention.

"So I forget to pick up a phone and say, 'hey guys, I'm in the middle of Europe right now'," Meda said. "No big deal."

"Except we worry sick about you until you just show up one day. Like you did today," Grace retorted. "I'm always so scared that you're not going to come home one of these times."

"Don't be foolish. I'm always going to come home, sheesh. Is it so wrong for me to want to know where I came from and who my parents were?" Meda snapped. "I'd be able to stop travelling so much if I _just knew_, you know."

"But what if you get into a car accident or something? What if your truck gets stolen or you get robbed or..." the waitress trailed off. Meda rolled her eyes.

"Grace, come on. Yeah, I know you worry about me, but I can take care of myself. I've done this dozens of times. I always come home safe and sound and in one piece, and you're the only one who ever chews me out about it!" Meda huffed.

"Mom and Dad miss you so much that when you come home, they don't have the heart to growl! I only chew you out because I don't want to lose my sister!" Grace shouted, her eyes beginning to water. "Nothing, I repeat _NOTHING_, in this world is ever guaranteed, Meda! You don't know if you won't get into a car accident or get hurt, and you can't even be bothered to _pick up a phone and let me know that you're alright!_"

Meda's eyes narrowed. "You're such a worry-wart! You've always worn your heart on your sleeve too, and you're only going to get your heart broken that way! You'll see! And have you ever heard the saying 'If you love something set it free, if it comes back it's meant to be'? Well let me be_ FREE!_" she roared. With that, she ran out the door. Grace stared at the door for a minute or so before tears flowed down her cheeks. The Battle Force 5 made room for her to sit down and she did, unable to stand any longer. The waitress sobbed and Stanford rubbed her back comfortingly.

"There there love, everything will be alright," he said gently.

"Sh-she's always...So _aggressive_...I-I don't un-understand why...Th-that's not...Not how w-we were brought u-up," Grace stuttered. Stanford didn't dare say anything about Meda; after seeing that bombshell be dropped, he knew any comment about her adopted sister would only upset her more and if there was one thing Stanford Isaac Rhodes the IV would not do, it was upset Grace. He pulled her into a hug; he didn't do it to try to make a move, he simply saw that she needed it right now. Grace didn't protest or try to pull away from him, she just sniffled and cried and felt slightly comforted by him holding her. The rest of the Battle Force 5 sat there a bit awkwardly, and A.J. didn't know what to think; Meda had seemed kinda nice and he would have liked to get to know her, but the way she'd snapped at her own sister made him unsure. He stared out the window of the diner, not even noticing the dusty red pickup truck pulling out.

Meda pulled out from the diner parking lot, and got on the road. She floored it immediately, heading for the salt flats. After a bit, she stopped the truck and got out. Looking back, she could barely see Handler's Corner. She glared down at the sand beneath her, wanting to throw herself onto it.

"Why can't you give me a hint of where I came from!" she hollered to the flats. She kicked a rock, still angry but losing steam. The drive had helped for that, at least, even if she hadn't really wanted to drive. After that fight, she just couldn't be near Grace. "I wanna go home!" she screamed, "but I don't know where home _IS_!"

Meda spent the rest of the day on the flats. She didn't want to have to deal with people; people who _knew_ where they came from, who _knew_ where their families were, _knew_ things like that that Meda didn't. She also didn't want to think about how Grace had probably cried after the fight, and before she knew it she found herself wondering if any of those people she'd been introduced to had comforted her. And suddenly it was like a fist had been driven into her gut hard; how could she do that to Grace? How could she do that to Grace _over and over and over again_? What was _wrong_ with her? Grace was her best friend, her sister. Meda was soon bawling, feeling terrible for Grace and being so angry with herself.

_I've been a selfish brat_, she thought. _I've never thought about how my leaving makes Grace feel_._ I just keep thinking of myself, and only myself_.

Meda hopped out of the bed of her truck, where she'd been sitting for the past while. She jumped in the driver's door, started the vehicle, and drove—this time slowly—back to Handler's Corner, where the idea of apologizing to Grace _yet again_ threatened to make her sick.

* * *

><p><strong>Well there you go! I'm sorry if I made anyone upset by ruining the picture of two happy little girls that you were left with at the end of the prologue. I'm pretty happy with this, though. <strong>

**And Meda is obviously in denial about thinking A.J. is cute. Review!**


	3. Surprise, Surprise

**Whoops, took so long to update. Sorry! Anyway, hope you enjoy! **

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Two<em>

"Grace I'm sorry," Meda pleaded. She was back at the diner, and Grace was just wiping her hands on a towel.

"You always do this," she muttered angrily. The waitress hated being left behind and forgotten and then yelled at when her adoptive sister came home, and she didn't want to put up with it anymore.

"I know Grace, but I didn't mean it," the other brunette insisted. Grace gave her a look.

"You always say that too. But before long, you'll be gone again."

"I promise I won't. You're my sister, I love you."

"You don't mean what you're saying. You were born for leaving," Grace snorted, turning back into the kitchen. Meda followed her, determined to get her to believe her.

"Grace, come on. I know we've had our ups and downs, but you know me better than anyone. I always believe what you say," she said.

"You make a habit of making promises you can't keep! Or maybe _don't want_ to keep is more accurate..." the waitress sighed sadly.

"I always want to keep my promises to you!"

"Then why do you always break them?" Grace hissed. Meda stared at her for a moment with wide eyes. She couldn't explain why she couldn't keep her promises. Grace continued with her work.

"Come on," Meda said again a few moments later. The waitress shook her head.

"You're not going to learn if I just keep forgiving you!" she put her hands up as she walked past Meda, to stop the other brunette from saying anything. "I always said I wouldn't stand for being treated like this. I'm a little surprised you think even you can get away with this." And the waitress was gone, taking orders with a smile. Meda sighed, walking out of the kitchen and grabbing her bag. She exited the diner, and looked around, unsure. She sat down against the side of the building.

"She's got every right to be mad..." she said to herself. "But I don't know what to do to make it better." She pulled her knees up, resting her arms on them. "I'm messed up." A tear rolled down her cheek. "No wonder why I was abandoned on the salt flats." Before long, she got up. Meda hopped in her truck and drove to a local motel she knew about. After checking in and throwing what stuff she had to the floor, she laid down. Her night ended up being long and restless.

She said not a word as she watched the sunrise. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a black T-shirt and her hair went back into that one braid. Her stuff went back into her truck, she checked out and she drove off to her favourite—or at this moment, least favourite—diner in town for an early breakfast.

* * *

><p>She had to sit for about half an hour before it opened. Meda went in only a minute or two after it opened. Not expecting to be talked to yet, she headed over to one of the booths and plopped down for some thinking. The brunette pulled out a pair of headphones and slipped them on, the music becoming the only thing she could hear.<p>

Meda woke with a start a while later. Had she really fallen asleep at the diner? It was blindingly obvious that she had. The table, the booth, the cold breakfast in front of her were the clues. "Grace always knows just what I want..." she muttered to herself sadly. The brunette dug into her breakfast half-heartedly, really only pausing when eight people blocked her view of the counter. Meda looked up, blinking, and realized she was looking at the group from yesterday.

"Are you alright? You seem a little down," one asked. It took a second for Meda to recognize him as being called Zoom. She shrugged.

"I'm fine I guess. Grace is just a little mad at me," she told them. "But she'll come around." The redhead snorted.

"So even Grace's lovely sister can do something wrong?" he questioned. Meda immediately looked annoyed.

"...I'm not getting you a date," she said outright, and Stanford frowned. He huffed and turned his back to her. "Is he always like that?" she asked the others with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah," Agura nodded. "But you get used to him." The group sat down in the booth, much to Stanford's displeasure.

"Err...I don't usually do this, but if I came off sounding rude to any of you," Meda said before looking over at Stanford. "Except for him, then I'm sorry." Stanford stuck his tongue out at her. Meda rolled her eyes at him.

"It's fine," the rest of the group said.

"So what happened yesterday anyway? Where'd you take off to?" AJ asked. The brunette sighed, glancing out the window.

"I sat on the salt flats for hours. That's where I was abandoned. Sometimes I go out there to think," she answered.

"Abandoned, huh? That sucks."

"I guess. I don't care, I became Grace's sister because of it. I would just like to know where I came from." Meda shook her head. "Anyway, I thought you guys didn't come in here until the afternoon?"

The group looked at each other. "Uhh, it's 12:30," Spinner said slowly. Meda's eyes widened.

"Crap, I slept that long? Well I guess that's what I get for not sleeping well last night," she muttered to herself. Just then Grace delivered a pizza and a round of sodas to the booth, taking Meda's now empty breakfast plate back to the kitchen with her. She didn't say a word.

"Wow, you must have really upset her," Vert said, concerned.

"I always do," Meda mumbled. "So anyway, what brings all of you to Handler's Corner?"

"We're test drivers for Spectra Motors," the leader answered. The rest of the group nodded.

"Well that's interesting," the brunette replied. "Can I see your vehicles?"

"Sure," the group ate their pizza, drank their sodas and got up. After paying, they headed outside with Meda. However, they were shocked at what she said.

"Wow," Meda said, looking at each vehicle. "Sentients always _did_ have nice tech."

The team's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. How did she know about Sentients?

"Um Meda," Vert began awkwardly. "How do you know about..._Sentients_?" he whispered the last word, just loud enough for Meda to hear.

"Sent-whats?" the brunette asked, immediately confused. The team was stunned into silence. She'd _just _made a comment on Sentient technology, and a few seconds later she didn't even know what a Sentient _was_?

Vert pulled the team into a huddle. "Look, maybe we just misheard her."

"But I'm positive she said 'Sentient'," Sherman protested.

"As am I. Maybe she's not who we think she is," Tezz suggested.

"Guys she doesn't seem to know she even said anything," Agura butted in. "Maybe we should just watch her carefully for a few days?"

"We just mentioned Sentients to her!" Stanford hissed. "We may or may not have misheard her, but we just made a bloody mistake we can't fix!"

"Let's calm down. We'll swear her to secrecy, and monitor the situation. If she displays any more knowledge of Sentients or the Multi-verse, we'll take her to Sage, alright?" Vert suggested. The rest of the team nodded, and broke the huddle. Meda stared at them, confused.

"Mind telling me what this Senti-tent thing is?" she asked.

"Look, it's complicated. Just...Don't tell anyone about it, okay?" Vert asked with an awkward smile.

"Only on one condition," the brunette said seriously. The team held their breaths. "If you guys will play a game of football with me," Meda said, grinning as she pulled out the oddly shaped ball. The team relaxed and agreed.

* * *

><p>After the game, which Spinner had sat out of, they were all just sitting on the ground. Except for Stanford and Tezz, who were leaning against their respective vehicles.<p>

"That was fun," Meda said with a laugh.

"Sure was!" AJ agreed enthusiastically. Tezz rolled his eyes.

"Wasn't that fun," he muttered, but no one heard.

"I know I just met you guys, but you're cool," Meda commented.

"You're not too bad yourself," Vert grinned. "Does anyone else want to go in and get a drink?" Several hands went up. The battle force 5 stood up, along with Meda, and they walked back to the diner. They'd played a little ways off, as so not to hit anything.

"I wish Grace would just forgive me already," Meda mumbled.

"We could say something if you'd like," AJ suggested.

"Nah, it's fine," the brunette shrugged. "Thanks though."

They went in and had their sodas. They laughed and talked and before too long the battle force 5 were up and out the door. Meda sat awhile by herself, thinking. She sighed and got up, heading towards the kitchen.

"Grace?" the waitress turned to the kitchen doors. Meda was in the doorway. "I really am sorry."

"Yeah, AJ mentioned it before they left. He said you were bummed," Grace replied. Her adoptive sister came into the kitchen completely.

"I told him not to say anything. Please don't be mad at me. Your ability to hold a grudge is driving me crazy."

"Well he was just looking out for someone who might've needed some looking out for. He's a good guy...Who you totally like," Grace smirked, a hand on her hip.

"I don't!"

"Oh please, I know you. You think he's cute, eh?"

"No!"

"Then why were you staring at him yesterday? I mean, you did better today. You didn't stare at all. But come on."

"Grace, I don't like him!" Meda huffed. "But at least you're teasing me. You're not mad now?"

"I couldn't stay mad at my sister _too_ long," she smiled a little, shaking her head.

"Does Stanford ever shut up about getting a date?" the other brunette gave the waitress a look.

"No. He tries every day. He's not that bad though...Haven't I told you this before?"

"He annoys me. I don't know how you can stand it."

"He's better some days than others. Now, back to your little crush on AJ..." Grace teased. Steam was almost rolling out of Meda's ears.

"I already told you I do NOT have a crush on him!" Meda hissed, crossing her arms. Grace laughed.

"Whatever you say."

* * *

><p><strong>Dooooone! Meda both knows AND doesn't know about Sentients at the same time...Well you'll find out why later. And Stanford just drives her up the wall, it seems. Anyway, don't forget to review!<strong>


	4. Things will get Complicated

**Whoop, next chapter :D I'm getting excited for this plot, An Animal's Heart may take a backseat to this! Enjoy :3**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three<em>

Grace's parents hugged Meda as soon as her and Grace got home. Meda smiled a little.

"Meda, when did you get home?" their mother asked eagerly. Meda glanced over at Grace slightly.

"She just arrived today," Grace smiled. Meda nodded in confirmation. Their parents looked at them curiously, but shrugged it off.

"You must be hungry," the older woman said to Meda. She shrugged a little.

"I ate at the diner, so I'm fine," Meda told her adoptive mother.

An hour or so later found the sisters sitting in Grace's room.

"So, about AJ..." Grace smirked. This would be their first real chance to talk about it.

"So, about Stanford..." Meda countered, sticking her tongue out.

"I've already told you he's not that bad," the other girl smiled a little and shook her head.

"He seems that bad!"

Grace gave Meda a look. "Are you sure you don't have a little crush on him? You _do_ seem to like saying that he's annoying."

"We're talking about Stanford! That's gross!" Meda exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Grace commented. "And you clearly have a crush on AJ, so there's really no room for Stanford." Meda folded her arms across her chest.

"I do NOT have a crush on AJ!"

"Hey, having a crush isn't going to make you soft or anything...And you _so_ like him."

"No way, I barely know him! Besides, I still have to find out where I'm from," Meda said seriously. Grace frowned.

"You got home _yesterday_! You can take some time to get to know a guy," the waitress hissed. Meda shrugged.

"Yeah, well...Let's not fight about that now. We did that yesterday," she shrugged. Grace looked at her.

"Well you brought it up. I don't see why it matters anyway."

"Like I've said, I just want to know," Meda stuck her tongue out. "Going back to crush talk, I think you might like Stanford."

"If I liked him, don't you think I'd go out with him?" Grace rolled her eyes.

"You're playing hard to get? Maybe you're making him work for it," the other girl suggested.

"You're crazy sis."

"Just like you're crazy to think that I like AJ!"

"So that's what this is about?"

Meda didn't reply. Instead, she swung her pillow at Grace. The sisters laughed as they started a pillow fight. Swinging, ducking and dodging, they both laughed, not having had that sort of fun in years. In the end they collapsed on the bed, gasping as they caught their breaths.

"Fine," Meda announced. "I'll stick around and try to get to know AJ if you stop saying I have a crush on him."

"Deal," Grace smiled.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe that girl is Grace's <em>sister<em>," Stanford said, a bit overdramatic. "She's...Wild."

"She is not Grace's real sister, so why does it matter?" Tezz questioned.

"They're not the same at all," the redhead piped up. "It's..."

"She might be a little rough around the edges, but she seems like she knows how to have fun," AJ butted in. "And that, dude, is what's important."

"She doesn't seem to be that bad," Zoom said as he walked into the room. Stanford rolled his eyes.

"I only wonder what she knows about the Multiverse," Tezz commented. "And why you're talking about her."

"Hey, Stanford started it," AJ shrugged. "I don't know why, but he seems to have a problem with her."

"I already said why!" Stanford exclaimed. "She's wild and not like Grace. And did you peasants even hear how she talked to me?" Zoom rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Vert was with Sage.

"Sage? There's something I need to tell you," he said. The blue sentient looked at the blonde leader.

"What is it Vert?"

"Well...We were talking to Grace's sister Meda at the diner this afternoon. We ended up outside, she wanted to see the vehicles you know?" he paused after that. "She...We think she mentioned Sentients." Sage gasped.

"Did you tell her about the Sentients?" she questioned in a whisper. Vert shook his head.

"No we didn't. It was out of the blue. She just said 'Well, Sentients always did have nice tech.' We asked her about that, and then she didn't know she had said anything," he explained. Sage looked thoughtful.

"It's odd," she said, "that she would seem to be able to remember Sentients, and yet forget near instantaneously."

"Do you have any idea of why that is?" the blonde asked. Sage hesitated, and Vert got a weird vibe from that.

"I...May have a hunch, but I would not like to voice these thoughts until I have done some research," the blue sentient said at last. Vert nodded, turning to walk away.

"I hope Grace forgave her," he said to himself. Sage looked away from her triangular screen.

"What was that?"

"Oh, Grace was upset with her. They were fighting because Meda keeps running off for periods of time and doesn't let Grace know she's alright. It's just because Meda doesn't know where she's from," Vert explained.

"She...Has no memory?"

"Not from before she woke up on the salt flats, I guess."

"That is...Peculiar." He got the feeling that she wasn't telling him something, but he pushed that thought out of his mind; Sage had never withheld information before unless it was important. He could be wrong anyway and she didn't know something she wasn't saying. Either way, he trusted Sage beyond words.

"Oh dear," she muttered to herself when he was gone. "Things may get complicated, if they are not already set up in a complicated manner."

* * *

><p>The battle force 5 headed to Zeke's the next day. They ordered the usual, sitting in their usual booth. Meda walked in before too long, and she headed over to them.<p>

"Hey. May I sit with you guys?" she asked with a grin. In response, AJ scooted over to make some room for her. She plopped herself down and ordered a soda herself.

"So what brings you here? Here to see Grace?" Spinner asked, after a slurp of his own drink.

"Actually, I wanted to see if you guys were here today," Meda admitted, trying not to look at AJ.

"So love..." Stanford started. Meda immediately shot him an intense glare.

"Don't even go there!" she shouted, about five seconds from throwing her drink at the Brit. The redhead flinched, and once she had turned to talk to one of the others he stuck his tongue out at her. A couple of seconds later, Stanford was squealing from the cold soda and ice hitting him. The rest of the team hopped up, giving the now-sticky Brit some room. Meda smirked triumphantly. Grace, watching from the kitchen, rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. "Don't cross me, Rhodes."

"Irritating peasant," he grumbled, leaving the diner in a huff. Meda turned to AJ.

"So I hear you're into extreme sports?" she asked, just avoiding eye contact with him.

"Yeah, they're such a blast. Skiing is amazing," he answered, smiling at the thought of the snowy hills.

"It sounds fun," Meda nodded. The rest of the team watched in amusement as they talked, both gradually growing more excited. Agura couldn't keep a knowing smirk off her face, and she shook her head. Grace spotted the look and came to stand beside her.

"It's obvious isn't it?"

"Like a polar bear in the middle of the desert."

"Polar bear?" AJ asked, excited. "Where?"

"It was a metaphor AJ," Agura sighed, rolling her eyes. AJ's face fell a little.

"Darn," he muttered, resuming his conversation with Meda. "Do you like polar bears?"

"They're carnivores, they live in the Arctic and they blend in with their environment perfectly..." the brunette said. "Of course!" she exclaimed after a moment. AJ suddenly pulled her into a bear hug. Meda laughed—and blushed a bit at the same time.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," AJ said when he put her down. He stuck his fist out and Meda immediately fist-pounded it. "Oh yeah, you're cool!" The rest of the team laughed, along with Grace. Meda stuck her tongue out at them, but she was surprised when the communicators began to beep.

"What's that?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound startled. The last thing she wanted them to think was that she was a _scaredy cat_. As if.

"Watches," Vert said hurriedly, "from Japan." The team ran out, leaving Meda to give Grace a confused look. The waitress shrugged.

"They do that sometimes. Don't worry about it, they'll be back before long," she said, heading back into the kitchen. Meda frowned for a moment, before getting an idea. She grinned mischievously as she slowly made her way to the door. She was halfway there when she heard Grace coming back out. Panicking, Meda decided on the best course of action and booked it out of the diner. Grace looked at the spot where her adoptive sister stood only moments ago. She shook her head.

"There she goes, getting herself into trouble again," she muttered, turning to take orders. She didn't realize—and never would—just how right she actually was with that statement.

Meda hopped into her truck immediately, pulled out of the parking lot and floored it. The speedometer leapt up, and the brunette looked for any sign of the team. She was in luck when she just barely noticed the Buster Tank retreating to the salt flats. Meda followed naively, gas pedal to the floor. She frowned when her truck sputtered a bit in protest of the speed, but she kept going regardless.

It was when she could see what sort of looked like a blue tornado that she had to slow down. Her head throbbed painfully once, twice. Meda's vision blurred slightly and she began to feel dizzy. She hit the brakes, wanting nothing more to stop. When the truck came to a stop, the brunette sat back and took a few deep breaths. When she looked back to what was ahead of her, she was confused.

The vehicles were gone, as well as the 'tornado'. "Something weird is going down around here," she said to herself, "and I'm going to find out what." The brunette recalled Vert telling her something about Spectra Motors. Meda drummed her fingers against the steering wheel lightly, slightly nervous at the thoughts going through her mind. Something was telling her that she shouldn't risk getting into trouble with the law, that Grace and her parents would be disappointed—not to mention AJ.

But something else told her she shouldn't care. Let whatever happen, she didn't truly _belong_ in Handler's Corner. She could up and leave town before anything serious happened. Meda took a deep breath, considering her options.

She went with the second. The brunette spun the truck around, floored it once more and was headed towards Spectra Motors.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooh, things are picking up! Why does Sage think things will become complicated-if they aren't already? What made Meda's head throb like that? And what kind of trouble will she get into at the garage? Find out one of these things next time, because if things weren't interesting already, it's REALLY going to heat up now! Review!<strong>


End file.
